Tre fratelli – Three Brothers (1981)

Directed by: Francesco Rosi | 113 minutes | drama | Actors: Philippe Noiret, Michele Placido, Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Andréa Ferréol, Maddalena Crippa, Rosaria Tafuri, Marta Zoffoli, Tino Schirinzi, Simonetta Stefanelli, Pietro Biondi, Charles Vanel, Accursio Di Leo, Luigi Infantino, Girolamo Marzano, Gina Pontcorelli , Cosimo Milone, Ferdinando Murolo, Maria Antonia Capotorto, Francesco Capotorto, Cristofaro Chiapparino

The name of the Russian writer Andrei Platonov will not immediately ring a bell with everyone. However, many of his colleagues and contemporaries – including Ernest Hemingway – thought highly of him. Platonov’s novel ‘The Third Son’ forms the basis for the film ‘Tre fratelli’ (1981) by the Italian filmmaker Francesco Rosi. Both in Platonov’s Russia (Soviet Union) and in Rosi’s Italy, family ties play a major role and religion also puts a strong mark on everyday life (although this is becoming less and less). Both countries were for some time under the yoke of a dictator (Stalin and Mussolini, respectively). To give the original story an Italian twist, Rosi enlisted the help of the renowned screenwriter Tonnino Guerra, who previously worked with Fellini and Antonioni, was a great admirer of Russian cinema and would work with Andrei several years after ‘Tre fratelli’. Tarkovsky.

‘Tre fratelli’ revolves around three brothers who grew up in the countryside in southern Italy, but then each went their own way. The eldest, Raffaele (Philippe Noiret), is a successful judge in Rome, who finds it increasingly difficult to practice his profession in Italy, harassed by terrorist movements. The idealistic Raffaele has been asked to join a big, important cause but is unsure whether he should accept the offer, especially since his wife begs him not to. Rocco (Vittorio Mezzogiorno), the middle brother, is just as idealistic. In Naples he heads a re-educational asylum for derailed young people. He does everything he can to keep the youth on the right path and is so busy with it that he has no time to start a family. The youngest brother, Nicola (Michele Placido), has his own problems. His marriage to an emancipated Turin woman has come to an end and his job in a car factory is in jeopardy, because he is one of the predecessors in the fight for better working conditions and prepared for strikes. Years later, the three brothers reunite for their mother’s funeral. Death brings the three brothers who have grown apart as their father (Charles Venel) bonds with his only granddaughter (Marta Zoffoli). Rosi uses the death of her mother as a reason to – in the person of the three brothers – present a pamphlet on political, social and societal themes that played an important role in Italian society in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Judges and lawyers who tried to expose certain abuses regularly paid with their lives (especially those who scrutinized corruption and mafia practices became a target for attacks). At the same time, the country – and especially the city of Naples – was gripped by juvenile delinquency and workers’ issues were at play in the industrialized north. The way Rosi and scriptwriter Tonnino incorporate these things into their screenplay is not always subtle. The dialogues here and there seem to come straight from a textbook and feel forced. The film succeeds better in the mutual dramatic connections and the personal development. Family ties are essential, it is emphasized once again. Back where they grew up, the brothers come closer to themselves. The quiet, friendly countryside is a breath of fresh air compared to their hectic life in the big city.

‘Tre fratelli’ excels in acting. With Noiret, Placido and Mezzogiorno, Rosi has managed to convince a trio of actors that certainly knows how to convince, but it is veteran Charles Venel who steals the show as their ancient father who is left lonely and alone now that his wife is no longer there. The flashbacks (which Rosi is just as passionate about as he is with dream scenes) in which he thinks back to unforgettable moments they shared together are heartwarming and Venel himself is moving and captivating. The French veteran shares the most beautiful scenes from the film with his granddaughter (great role by eight-year-old Marta Zoffoli), with whom he develops a special bond. They seem to be the only two characters who have their feet on the ground, who get happiness out of little things. The four male main characters all have a dream, but Grandpa’s is the only one that is warm and loving. ‘Tre fratelli’ is full of symbolism and references (compare, for example, Marta playing in the grain with grandmother letting the sand slip through her fingers on the beach). At this level, the film works much better than as a socially critical pamphlet. ‘Tre fratelli’ is a strongly acted drama that takes too much on its fork by providing political, social and societal critique of Italian society. If Francesco Rosi had limited himself to family ties only, this would have been a true masterpiece, with small scenes achieving great results. Now – due to the excess of ‘business information’, which make the characters strive for higher idealistic goals, there is just a little too much noise on the line. Nevertheless, Rosi once again delivers a strong film.